Whilst I was reading this I was quite conflicted as to whether the plot resonated with me or just frustrated me. The Main Character, Vern, attempts to discover what has occurred in the past of "Cainland" and why she was behaving in the manner she is. Her decisions were quite peculiar and I found myself confused as to why she'd carry many of those out. However, the depiction of Cainland was extremely fascinating and though the plot speed was quite inconsistent, it was manageable. The novel explored many ideas extremely well, from gender and sexuality to racial tensions and religion, it will quite likely stick with me for eternity.

This book blew me away!!! I loved how Rivers Solomon is so intentional with her social commentary regarding beauty, race, power, the abuse of black bodies, gender/social norms.
Vern's character is all of us looking to find our way and define our own identity and determine our own destinies.. And choose to flip off whomever doesn't agree or doesn't understand. The characterization in this book is stunning. Both the protagonists and villain(s) are physical and literal and morally gray. The author makes us examine how hard choices have to be made sometimes at the expense of causing pain. I love how change/growth/metamorphosis is interpreted through a very complex character development.
The book (while set in current time) read like historical fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, and even suspense/horror/thriller! So yes the description of being "genre-bending" is a very appropriate description.
Bravo Rivers Solomon!! You have gained another fan!

Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for a honest review!

I've heard nothing but amazing things about Rivers Solomon, and I've been wanting to read one of their pieces for a while. Sorrowland exceeded my high expectations - what an amazing, weird book!

Atmospheric from the very first page, this story first leaves the reader with more questions than he could possibly hope to answer. Since almost the entirety of the book is written from the POV of Vern, her preconceived notions and state of mind cloud the narrative, making me question what was real and what was a figment of her imagination for a long time. When the story finally unravels - and boy, it does - it's so very satisfying and fascinating.

The commentary on the treatment of Black people in modern-day America, the abuse of religion to justify racism in the past, on gender norms and on corruption were absolutely mind-blowing. I'll definitely pick up more of Solomon's work in the future, the bizarre concepts paired with brilliant social commentary really left their mark on me.

thanks, Netgalley, for giving me this free eARC in exchange for a review!

I enjoyed this book a lot, in a similar manner to how I enjoyed "An Unkindness of Ghosts." It's very heavy, seems very personal, dealing with issues about like alienation and nature and motherhood. It starts out with Vern, who's escaped from a religious cult, and who's in the middle of childbirth while being actively pursued by people who want to forcefully return her to the cult's land. In general I really liked this book both the events and themes-- there's elements in there about reaching out to people but keeping them at arm's length, about being hurt, and then at the end about finally finding a community that understands you and treats you right. it's very, i mean, sorrowful but touching.

thought this had a lot of elements of "An Unkindness" but in a different way, which at the very beginning, I worried would be a little repetitive but after only a chapter or two I understood to be fairly different. The character of Lucy reminded me a lot of Giselle in "Unkindness," in that she's the only friend that the main character has ever had and she's outspoken and more brash in comparison-- but her role in the story is very different than Giselle, and while Vern is still like the outcast in comparison to her outcast group, she's a different character than Aster in a lot ways-- I think most relevantly because she spends such a large part of the group absent the type of community that Aster has.

i thought Sorrowland did a really good title/name drop at like, whatever it was, 65% through the book, talking about specifically America as being full of the hurts of all the people who suffered in it, but that they could fight back and make it their own (for the first time / again). maybe that's the thesis of the book that I've just rephrased but I liked it.

uh basically- recommend! Thought this was a very good addition to the rivers solomon canon and if you liked faer other books you'll probs like this one

Sorrowland focuses on Vern, a teenage African albino raised in a cult-like compound known as Cainland. When we meet her she’s fleeing from Cainland around seven months pregnant....with twins!
Early in she gives birth like a boss to her babies in the forest; & continues to raise them off of the land for years, which was fascinating.
We’re given little hints throughout that there’s something special about Vern. She develops a super strength while living wild in the forest, and starts to become haunted by ghosts.
Things take a turn after she develops a relationship with a woman in the local town, & she again has to flee with her now two small toddlers. Her goal is to reach a childhood friend Lucy who has also escaped from the compound.
While on the run she comes down with an illness that leaves her completely debilitated. She is able to reach her destination, only to find that Lucy is not there, but is graciously taken in by Lucy’s relatives Bridget & Gogo.
This sounds like an info dump but I swear this is only a small portion of this wild story. Vern begins to undergo a transformation that is enthralling. I NEEDED to know what the heck was going on. The payoff is 100% worth the investment.
Thanks to Farrar, Strauss & Giroux & Netgallt for the advanced reader copy!

Vern was a captivating protagonist from page one. Gritty, determined, flawed, clever, and resourceful. The story slowly fills in all the details of a life that wasn't what it seemed, and an ending that you can't predict. It was beautiful, ugly, engaging, and awe inspiring.

This is a difficult book to rate. On one hand, I loved Vern's radical ferocity, her hunger, and her interesting parenting choices. On the other hand, the pacing, especially around the third act, basically completely fell apart for me. I also wished Howling and Feral had bigger roles to play, as I absolutely adored them, and was pretty ambivalent about most of the other side characters.

I LOVE THIS SO MUCH! I’ve been highly anticipating all of Rivers Solomon’s works, and this did not disappoint. I feel like their work is getting darker each book, and the ghostly/horror elements in this made it impossible to put down.

The story of 15-year-old Vern and her twin children escaping an abusive cult, as she is developing an illness that causes what seem to be hallucinations. In a way this felt like Lakewood mixed with Mexican Gothic but very much written by Rivers Solomon.

I will never get over the way they can write themes of gender fluidity, queerness, and the Black experience so effortlessly in a way that feels easy but deeply personal.

I loved this, thank you for the ARC!

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I requested this book, but it exceeded my wildest dreams. Vern is a 15-year-old woman, married to the leader of a Black Power cult. She gives birth to twins in the woods after escaping the compound and chooses to raise her babies alone and completely off the grid in hopes of avoiding capture by her husband and the strange people in his orbit.

Vern was an interesting character who I respected like hell in one breath and didn’t understand in the next. I had to keep reminding myself that she was a teenager, so some of her behavior had to be deconstructed with that level of immaturity in mind. I couldn’t help but love her for her devotion to her children (except for that one time) and her absolute stubbornness about everything. She knew what she had to do to survive, and she got it done, regardless of how unpleasant the task.

As Vern began to unravel what was going on with her, the story got crazier and crazier. Even though some of what happened was completely over the top, I believed it. Rivers Solomon has a deft hand when it comes to convincing their reader that the impossible is, in truth, quite possible. I tried to describe the story to a friend, and I could only laugh at myself for how ridiculous it all sounded, yet I was glued to my e-reader from page one.

I had a few (small) beefs about this book. One took place in a motel room, which tossed me out of the story like a grenade thrown into a puppy mill. It felt gratuitous and didn’t move the story even a millimeter forward. Another was a chapter shown through Howling’s point of view, which was, I believe, the only other non-Vern POV chapter in the whole book. It appeared early-ish in the story, which made me expect more from his POV. We never got it, leaving me scratching my head. It was almost like the author intended to bring Howling’s side of the story to light, but then decided later it wasn’t important after all. What was that about? Finally, the ending was a little too neat for me after the messiness leading up to it. I understood why the author chose to end it that way, but something about it didn’t sit right. It was too easy, too convenient.

But there was plenty of great stuff to make up for the few stumbles. The relationships Vern forged with Gogo and Bridget were the real gems of this book. Vern’s idea of family grew into something much bigger than she had ever experienced before, and it was a beautiful transformation—not only for her, but for Howling and Feral too. I loved the message that family doesn’t always fit into traditional definitions. Family is what you make of it. And parenting is too. I remember something Neil DeGrasse Tyson once said about encouraging kids to learn about the world around them. He said to let kids get dirty. Let them make mistakes and messes. That’s what engages curiosity. Despite their very unusual upbringing, Howling and Feral were blessed that their mother and the other adults in their lives allowed them to explore the world on their own terms.

There’s so much more I loved about the book, but I’ll refrain in the interest of not spoiling it for others. Sorrowland was a solid five stars for me.

If you’re looking for a genre-crushing novel that blends sci-fi and fantasy elements, LGBTQ themes, horror, gender and racial issues, with creepy government overtones, give Sorrowland a try. It’s truly indescribable but so worth the read.

* I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received this ARC from Farrar, Straus and Giroux from NetGalley! Thank you for this in exchange for an honest review.

This is like nothing I have ever read before. Sorrowland follows a 15 year old girl through four years of her life and her journey as she escapes a cult, births twins, tries to survive in the woods, and ultimately seeks answers about what exactly is happening to her body. This concept was so interesting but I struggled with some aspects of it. I felt like it was trying a little too hard at being an insightful piece, when in reality, the ending was one of the only impactful parts. A lot of the main character’s actions were questionable, but I ultimately kept reading because the storytelling and themes were SO good. Touching on the exploration of sexuality, racial tensions, religion, and the patriarchal society, I found myself, at multiple points, wondering whether I’ve ever read a book with so many important topics in one. I came to the conclusion that I haven’t, and that’s why I feel like this is an important read.

I found it hard to visualize some aspects of this book as well because of how otherworldly it was, but Sorrowland was a book I will not stop thinking about anytime soon! It’s definitely on the likes of Us by Jordan Peele-psychologically thrilling until the last page.

At the start of Sorrowland we find Vern giving birth to twins in the deeps of a forest. They've escaped a strict cult, one arisen from a racial movement, and they're intent on getting Vern back. To overcome, and fight back, Vern unleashes a great and dangerous power that they will struggle to understand, all the while raising their children without the confines of society's rules.

I'm in awe of what Rivers Solomon has managed to achieve with Sorrowland. They manage to capture and reimagine a complicated and brutal past and present it in such a way that feels new yet no less impactful. Vern and the other characters are those in standard society who are often overlooked, or seen as 'less than', and Rivers brings their trauma and their insight to the forefront.

The writing is beautiful and poignant, full of atmosphere and tenderness but I admit I did struggle with the prose at times. It tends to veer towards the lyrical at times, which for me personally, lessened the emotional impact. However this should not take away just how exceptional this story is, and just how many ideas and concepts are brought to the table in such an imaginative way.

A highly impactful piece, from a writer that gives a voice to those often forgotten.

3.5 stars. I'm grateful for this arc provided by the publisher thought NetGalley.

This was a disturbing at times and very touching story. It was incredible to imagine Vern going through all that at such a young age. I liked the writing mostly, however multiple times I felt the story was dragged. It wasn't very easy to get through the story sometimes. I would still definitely recommend this book.

Sorrowland is the story about a woman who escapes a religious compound and finds herself in the wild. She sets up a camp for her and her newborns and changes start to happen. I can't really describe the book much more without ruining it. It is fantastic, heartbreaking, and terrifying. The book does not fit into any one mold. I absolutely loved it. The characters are fantastic. I loved Gogo and Vern, such deep characters. The settings were very well written, you could really lose yourself in the words. This book is truly special. I can't wait to read more by the author, they are amazing.

A copy of my GoodReads review is as follows:

"This book floored me! Hit me right in the instincts for self-preservation and wanting to avoid group think! This novel twists and braids genre fiction, like the classic cult novel, with distinctive and contemporary additions to Black aesthetics. Understanding, on so many levels, the history of the Black mother as forcibly involved in and tethered to eugenics practices (i.e. practices to make having children impossible for Black, Indigenous, and disabled women), the opening scene of a birth on-the-run having just escaped a cult, is gripping. Solomon also takes up Blackness as a "beastly" quality--as a reflection on slavery, captivity, and the brutality of violence and death. Solomon adds their nuance while keeping the brutality of the descriptions in the flow of the prose. Solomon, by framing the "beastly" as healing, protection, transformation, and power makes grief and mourning a process by which marginalized people find a path to life. A triumphant book that is as much lovely as it is visceral. Highly recommend!

I will read this book for years to come! Phenomenal!"

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book received in exchange for an honest review.

Sorrowland begins with the main character Vern, who is seven months pregnant and living at a strict religious compound. She escapes and flees to the nearby woods, where she gives birth to twins. But, she has not truly escaped for someone is tracking and hunting her. She soon finds that she has strength beyond start is humanly possible and she begins her journey to discover why.

I loved how this story unfolded and how Vern changes and grows throughout the book. It kept me fully engaged with each chapter and I struggled two step away from it. It is definitely a unique story for the sci-fi genre.

Sorrowland begins with the tone of a runaway slave story, and although we soon learn that this is alternative present-day setting, the tone remains true. Vern has run away from a cultish group where the God of Cain presides. The truth of the group will remain hidden from Vern and from the reader for much of the novel, but those revelations come alongside the revelations of who and what Vern really is. Part suspense, part horror, part science fiction, part scathing critique of contemporary American prejudices against transsexuality, transgenderism, and anything identified as the other, Sorrowland will provoke both compassion and rage, incredulousness and horror. Hopefully, Sorrowland will also contribute to the national conversation over the damage that the war against "the other" in America has done to those outside of white, European, dominant culture.

Sorrowland touched on so many interesting topics. Vern just doesn’t fit into any slot. She’s an albino woman from an African American family. And she escapes the cult where she didn’t belong. The idea of being 15, alone and birthing twins in the wilderness just floors me. Although the concept was so interesting, I just didn’t enjoy reading it. There were parts that dragged on and took away from the character.

Thank you Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing an eARC of Sorrowland through Netgalley!

When I first started this book I was really apprehensive about continuing. I am glad I did, but it was nothing like what I expected, to say the least. The writing was phenomenal, it flowed well and was easy to read, but the content at times got confusing. At one point it changed point-of-views for a couple of chapters with no warning whatsoever, something I was able to catch eventually with context clues. It was the only time it ever changed POVs, which really made it stand out as weird. I chose to give this book 3 stars because, while it is wildly different from what I would normally choose to read, I didn’t want to let that take away from a rating. Overall, it was extremely interesting once I got through the oddness of it. It had some great plot twists and character interactions, and I thought the commentary on race relations, sexuality, gender, religion, and life and death were interesting. It is definitely an interesting book about humanity and the dark and light that can come of it.

DNF 37%

I can’t do it anymore.

It’s come to the point where I’m not reading just because I know that this is what I’m going to be picking up.

There is nothing wrong with the writing. I thought it was really well done. The story is just boring, and it’s going nowhere. I’m really torn on whether I’ll pick this back up in the future but right now I have too many other things that I’m excited to read and this just is not working.

(tw: self harm, pedophilia, rape)

UGHHHH IM SO MAD, I wanted to love this.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing me an early copy of this book!

TW// Death, neglect, abuse, self harm, racism, homophobia

(Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!)

The forest is hungry, always watching. Freedom comes at a price.

Vern is a young mother, birthing twins in the middle of a hostile forest, haunted by death and fears. Escaping from a cult being chased down and hunted, she must learn to adapt and survive despite the world being against her, not just for herself but for her children.

The first couple chapters launch you directly into the action, incredibly fast paced you don't get much time to absorb what is happening before it moves onto the next thing. Luckily, the pacing slows down (but not too much) after a short bit, leading into the children growing up and learning about the world they where thrust into.

Generally the pacing overall is done well aside from the aforementioned issue. The story flows well past the start and the characters all mostly have good growth.

There's a couple character issues I have though, like severe child neglect for no reason at the start, but somehow everything's perfectly fine and there's no issues or outcome from that. Generally dialogue from antagonists that's supposed to be manipulating as well, just comes across weirdly.

On a positive note, there's some fantastic representation! Vern is an albino black woman, she has poor eyesight to the point of being nearly blind, however she doesn't let this hold her down too much. There is also a trans(?) character, strong BIPOC representation, and a hell of a strong queer theme throughout! Both WLW and MLM are in this novel, explicit but consensual sex also happens multiple times in both cases.

Overall, it was a much more enjoyable book them I thought it would be at the start. I found myself getting lost in the mystery, horror and the almost fantasy-like feel to the world of Sorrowland.